Feed control device for towel cabinets



April 12, 1932. F. G. STEINER 1,853,705

FEED CONTROL DEVICE FOR TOWELCABTNETS I Filed Dec. 25, 1929 2Sheets-Sheet 1 F76. 1 5,? M, 01; M

FEED CONTROL DEVICE FOR TOWEL CABINETS Filed Dec. 25, 1929 I 2Sheets-Sheet 2 fnvenfor Pie/a N11 6. 5TE/NEB ATT'GENEYJ part of thisspecification Patented Apr. 12, 1932 y-UNITED STATES PATENT-TOFFEE OFSALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A CORPORATION OF 'UTAH FEED coNTEoL DEVICE FORrowEL cA'B'INErs Application filed December 28, 1929. Serial No.416,038.

In towel dispensing cabinets where a feeding instrumentality is providedfor delivering the clean web of towel to the-user and a take-up deviceis arranged to wind up the soiled portion of the towel within thecabinet, it is desirable to provide a lock device'which when moved toits release position, will permit the delivery of a predetermined len 11of towel during the period or time t at elapses between the releaseofthe feeding instrumentality and the relocking of the same, and it isfurther desirable to'provide means to prevent the effective operation ofthe release mechanism until a certain time has elapsed after thedelivery of the towel has begun.

The particular object of this invention is to provide a time controlmechanism adapted for use with a cabinet such as shown in my Patent#1,724,229, issued August 13, 1929, as an improvement on or substitutefor the dash pot and plunger mechanism shown and described in thispatent.

Other objects of the invention will appear from-the following detaileddescription.

, The invention consists generally of various constructions andcombinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed outin the claims.

' In the accompanying drawings forming a Figure' 1 is a verticalsectional view through a towel dispensing cabinet embodying myinvention; v

Figure 2 is a detail sectionalviewshowing the particular arrangement ofthe time con trol device in its normal position;

Figure 3 is a similar View showing the slide connected with the timedevice raised to a point where it prevents the operation of the releasemechanism;

Figure 4; is an edge view showing the connection of the slidewith thefeeding instrumentality;

Figure 5 is an outside view with the wall of the casing partially brokenaway, looking toward the end of the feeding instrumentality and showingthe release mechanism in its normal position.

In the drawings, 2 represents a suitable cabinet having a top 3, a rearwall 4, a bottom wall 5 and a suitable front door 6 that is adapted tobe opened to expose the inside of the cabinet. 7 represents the innersection of the cabinet adaptedto swing outwardly on pivots 8, but asthis features forms no part of the present invention I do not need todescribe the manner of such movement. '9 is a feed-roll having aroughened peripheral surface. '10 is a similar take-up roll having adriving connection with the feed roll for simultaneous movement. 11represents a supply of'clean towelresting upon a suitable support 12within the inner section, the looseend of the towel web being carried upbetween the feed roll 9 and the door 6 and around a pinch roll 13 thatis loosely mounted in guide slots 14 in the side walls of the innercasing.

The relative position of the rolls 9 and 13 is such that when a downwardpullLis exerted by the user on the towel web which depends through theopening in the bottom of the cabinet, as plainly shown inFigure' 1, theroll 13 will be drawn downwardly to press the towel web against the roll9 with suflicient friction so that this roll will be driven andsimultaneously a corresponding movement will be imparted tothe'roll 10.Atake up roll 15 is mounted in guide slots 16 and the web of soiledtowel is passed'c-up- FRANK G; STEINER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NORTO STEINER SALES COMPANY,

wardly through the bottom of the cabinet between the wall 12 and therear of the cabinet and in contact with a pressure device 17 whichcooperates with the edge of the wall 12 to-smooth and st'raightenthetowel web and exert the desired degree'of tension thereon so that theconvolutions of the web on the roll 15 will be drawn against the roll 10with suflicient pressure to cause the continuous revolution of the roll15 and the windingup of the soiled towel when the rolls 9' and 10 areoperated. All this structure is shown and described in my former patentabove referred to and is herein illustrated merely to make clear the useof the cabinet. w

The feed roll 9 has a bore 18 therein adapted to receive a locking bolt19 that is free to 20 and the pin 21. This bolt is free to slide bygravity and normally its outer end isadapted to enter a slot 22 providedin the bracket 23 and engage a stop 2d at the upper end of the slot andthereby lock the feed roll against revolution. The bracket has aguideway 25 ;adap'ted to receive a slide 26 and the wall of the guidewayhas an opening 27 opposite the slot 22 in position to permit the end 28of a pivoted arm' 29 "to be thrust through the opening 27 and contactwith the end of the bolt 19 to disengage it from the stop 24K. Thisoperation of the arm '29 may be effected by means of a spring member 30secured preferably to the door of the cabinet and having a cap 31 whichprojects outwardly in position .to be pressed by the user of the towelfor the purpose of initially releasing the feed roll. A cam 32 ismounted on the end of the feed roll?) and provided with a shoulder 33 inposition to engage'a lug 34 on the upper portion of the slide 26,whereby when the feed roll is released upon the initial. movement of'thebolt 19, its revolution will engage the shoulder 33 with thelur 3i and.raise the slide to the position indicated in Figure .3, where it will beheld positively until such time as the shoulder 33 passes out ofengagement with the lug 34. When this occurs, the slide would naturallydrop by gravity to its normal position and allow the second operation ofthe .arm 29 and for the purpose of timing the downward movement of thisslide and rendering the release arm again efl'ective, I connect amechanism with the slide which I will now describe in detail.

A-suitable plate 35 is mounted in the casing and adapted to support atrain of gears. A pinion 36 is mounted on a gear wheel 37 and mesheswith the teeth of the gear wheel 38.. The gear wheel 37 meshes with thecorresp nding pinion 39 that is concentric with a gear 40. An escapementlever il engages the teeth of the gear wheel 40 and is provided with abalance wh-eel 42. An arm 43 is pivoted concentric with the axis of thegear 38 at one end and has its opposite end pivotally connected with theslide 26 by a rod 44. A dog 45 is pivoted on the arm 42 and is normallyheld by a spring 46 in engagement with the teeth of the gear 38 and aspring 47' is connected with the arm 43 and is adapted to normally exerta downward pressure on said arm that will tend to turn the gear wheelsand operate the escapement lever 41, the ar 'rangement being such thatwhen the arm 43 is raised with the slide to the position shown in Figure3, the pressure of the spring exerting a downward force thereon, andaided by gravity of'thearm 43 will turn the gear 38 and through theother gears and pinions, rock the escapement lever 41 and allow themechanism to operate with a step by step move- -ment which will"continue until thearm and 7 the slide reach their normal position asindicated in Figure 2, and in such position these parts will remainuntil the slide is again operated and raised to a point where it willprevent the release arm from disengaging the locking bolt from its stop.

Thea-wheel, 42 secured to the shaft of the escapement lever operatesthrough its weight to retard the movement or oscillations of theescapement lever. This takes the place of the ordinary small 'tortionspring that is usually used with an escapement lever. Evidently thisescapement mechanism may be so constructed that the time of the travelof the arm from its raised to its down position can be increased ordecreased according to the desired period of time during which the useris to be prevented from manipulating the release lever.

"This escapement mechanism iscomparative'ly inexpensive to manufactureand is extremely efiicient and reliable in operation. It

eliminates the use of liquid in a dash pot and the tendency of suchliquid to escape from the dash pot cylinder. The escapement can beeasily and quickly applied to a cabinet and being of extremely simpleconstruction, will add but little to the initial cost. Wheneverdesirechthe rod it maybe disconnected and the slide used independentlyof the timing mechanism, in which case it will drop by gravity to itsnormal position as soon as permitted to do so the operating. cam.

In various Ways the details ofconstr-uction herein shown may bemodified, such as in the form shown in the' escapement, and-the mannerof connecting it to the reciprocating slide, and still be within thescope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

In a control mechanism for a towel cabinet feed releasing device, anescapement mechamsm, a'pivoted arm and means to bias said armto move inone direction, a dog on said In witness whereof,l have hereuntoset myhand this 18th day of December, 1929.

a a FRANK Gr. 'STEINER.

